Khambra was most likely influenced by another serial killer – Ashok Khambra – whom he called uncle. Ashok, accused of killing over 100 truck drivers, was nabbed in 2010 by the police. Ashok, while being brought to Bhopal in a train, drugged his police escort and is absconding since then, TOI reported.

He would then strip them of all their clothing to prevent their identification and dump their bodies.

The accused sold parts of stolen trucks and other looted goods in various states, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.

HOW DID THE POLICE NAB THE GANG?

Khambra was arrested from the forests of Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh by a female cop after being chased for three days, TOI reported. SP Bittu Sharma – a Taekwondo black belt and Asian Games medalist in judo nabbed Khambra at gunpoint.

SP Lodha Rahul Kumar, was heading the investigation in the recent murders of two truck drivers while Khambra was arrested.

WHAT WAS RECOVERED FROM THE ACCUSED?

Police have so far recovered a truck, some iron bars, medicines, food items and other material from the accused. Police have also seized a diary in which Prajapati and Khambra noted down the mobile numbers of those targeted by the gang, the DIG said.

The crimes were committed in Bhopal, Mandideep, Misrod, Bilkhiria, Hoshangabad and Guna in Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur in Maharashtra and Sambalpur in Odisha, police added.

KHAMBRA’S KIN SHOCKED

Khambra’s wife and children, who had no knowledge of his actions other than his tailoring job, were shocked after the revelation.

“The last we saw of him was on 15 August, when he set off to Nagpur for a court hearing in Nagpur in an old case. We don’t know what to say,” Khambra’s elder son, Shubham, told TOI.

“He was a quiet man, well behaved. There is no way anyone will accept he has the blood of so many on his hands,” said a neighbour, as quoted by TOI.

Police have managed to crack most of the crimes while efforts are on to collect evidences in rest of the cases. "We have dispatched police teams to various locations for collecting evidence," Choudhary said.

Choudhary said the Madhya Pradesh Police has informed their counterparts in other states about the arrests. Many cold cases relating to the murders have been opened in other states.

All the nine accused have been remanded in police custody till 14 September, the officer said.